Evelyn Mejía Carrasco, Phd Candidate in Social and Political Sciences at UNAM, Mexico

Ever since president Peña Nieto came into power in 2012, Mexico has witnessed a staggeringincrease in murder rates, drugs related crime, repression against journalists and socialactivists, and violence against women and migrants. Civil society groups are critical of the Dutch government's indifference towards the grave human rights violations that continue to haunt the Mexican people under this president. In fact, the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs has nothing but praise for the economic collaboration as the Netherlands is the second largest European investor in Mexico.

How are Mexican communities responding to the human rights violations that permeate their daily life? This afternoon, we will hear experiences from Guerrero and Oaxaca, both southern Mexican states with a social history marked by rebellion. We will listen to Mario Campos, priest and human rights defender active in indigenous communities in Guerrero and cofounder of community policing organizations. Also, we will hear stories of local resistance against the construction of a windmill park, told by a Mexican PhD researcher. In coastal Oaxaca, local communities have laid bare the disturbing consequences of the so called ‘green economy’ and successfully challenged the plans of multinational companies.

In light of where Mexico is headed today, what can we learn from these experiences of local activists? What conclusions can we draw about Mexico’s human rights situation, and how does this reflect on Mexico’s international image if rule of law cannot be guaranteed for all? And in the prospect of the president’s visit, what can or should we expect from the Dutch government?

Join us for this afternoon discussion with Mario and Evelyn.

Mario Campos Hernández

Mario Campos Hernández works as catholic priest belonging to the diocese in the municipality of Tlapa, in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero. Born in the indigenous Mixtec communities Tototepec, he became a sympathizer of Liberation Theology which is an interpretation of Christian faith that serves to eradicate poverty and social injustice. Camposhas participated in Guerrero’s Council of 500 Years of Indigenous Resistance, the HumanRights Center Tlachinollan and developmental organizations, and cofoundedthe communitypolice organization, today called Regional Coordination of Community Authorities (CRAC).

Evelyn Mejía Carrasco

Evelyn Mejía Carrasco is a Phd Candidate in Social and Political Sciences at UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), México, where she carries out a research project about violence related to conflicts over land and nature in indigenous territories, particularly in the case of windmill farms at the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Oaxaca.